Ajax Cape Town head coach Muhsin Ertugral has fired a warning shot to Kaizer Chiefs ahead of their Premier Soccer League (PSL) match on Saturday.
The Urban Warriors are heading into their encounter with Amakhosi at the Cape Town Stadium, needing nothing but a victory in order to stand a chance of surviving relegation from the top flight league.
Ajax, who have never been relegated from the PSL, are currently placed 15th (relegation play-off spot) - three points behind 12th-placed Baroka FC with one match left. The Urban Warriors will only survive if they beat Chiefs and the other results go their way.
On the other hand, third-placed Chiefs are looking to qualify for next season’s Caf Confederation Cup and a win over Ajax will see Amakhosi finish in position three, and book their place in the continental club competition.
Ertugral, who has had two spells with Amakhosi as their head coach, is confident of masterminding a victory over his former side.
“We are going to win‚ I really believe that in my heart‚” Ertugral told the media on Wednesday.
“My players are prepared‚ that’s why they feel so relaxed going into this game. Most of the work has been on the mental aspect,” he continued.
"We haven’t done that much physical stuff and we’ve worked on our strengths and not our weaknesses. We cannot fix anything now in the matter of two weeks,” he added.
Amakhosi are under the guidance of Patrick Mabedi, who was appointed caretaker coach last month following Steve Komphela’s resignation.
“These are the elements that we really need to work on in the game. We’ve looked a lot at Chiefs’ details‚ especially since Patrick (Mabedi) took over,” the former Lamontville Golden Arrows coach revealed.
Mabedi has been in charge two Chiefs matches - losing 3-1 to Arrows in Durban, before beating Maritzburg United 2-0 in Johannesburg.
"Even if they have not been successful this season‚ we must say they are still a good team. Patrick has changed things a bit in the last two games,” he said.
"He’s gone back to a back four because he knows how to defend,” the experienced tactician concluded.
Chiefs edged out Ajax 1-0 in the first round league game courtesy of Dumisani Zuma’s second half goal at the Moses Mabhida Stadium last December.